It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year?!

Term I is winding down here on campus. I cannot believe how quickly time flies! My roommate and I are all ready for the holiday season with our lovely purple and gold tree : )

This past weekend was full of traditions with Holiday Banquet and Holiday Ball. The banquet was a lot of fun this year. My friends and I sat with Nina Skinner, the executive secretary to the treasurer. When it came time to carve the turkey, our table had a good laugh watching other professors and administrators attempting to carve. Nina was the smart one and brought an electric knife : ) It was nice to have a second Thanksgiving meal with my friends. Singing holiday songs were a nice change from the normal EC ones as well. The Arabian Nights themed Ball transformed the upstairs dining hall. It was nice to get dressed up, dance with friends, and take tons of silly pictures.

The fun of the weekend has worn off as it is now the last week of classes. Some of my finals are on Friday and the rest are next week. Luckily, they are spread out pretty well so it shouldn’t be too crazy (let’s hope!). It feels as if I was just starting my classes. I like them all so it will be sad to say goodbye but nice to have a break with no homework or projects. Time to get back to work!

Dreidel I Shall Play!

This week marks the start of the Jewish Holiday Hanukkah! To celebrate, Hillel hosted a Dreidel Social. It was a lot of fun! Our club and friends got together for the first night to light the menorah, eat some traditional foods like latkes and sufganiyot (potato pancakes and jelly doughnuts), and play Dreidel! It was a nice break before the craziness of the last week of classes and finals. Here are some pictures!

The excitement of the week will continue this weekend with the much anticipated Holiday Banquet and Holiday Ball! More to come soon : )

Happy Turkey Day!

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! I have so much to be thankful for, especially great family and friends.

This morning I woke up to my Thanksgiving Day tradition; turkey toast. Every year for Thanksgiving my mom would take a turkey cookie cutter, toast the newly shaped bread, spread it with peanut butter, put my favorite cereal for the feathers, and a piece of something sweet for the eye and gobbler. I highly recommend it : )

After watching a bit of the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, it was time to start getting the house and food ready. Our house smelled wonderful with the turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing, broccoli casserole, carrot and sweet potato crumble, corn casserole, rolls, and baked pineapple. Our neighbors stopped by for some munchies and before we knew it our guests arrived. My boyfriend and his family, my grandmother, and a family friend all came to enjoy our feast. We were so stuffed but all managed to make room for dessert which included red velvet cupcakes, apple crisp, pumpkin pie, cookies, apple pie, and ice cream.

It was a nice way to start the end of a relaxing break. Despite having the usual doctor appointments, it has been a good break filled with shopping and a little work. At the start of break I went back into my high school for EC Ambassadors. My friend Anna, a member of the phenomenal class of 2014, and I met with a student who was just accepted. We answered many of his questions and hopefully convinced him that purple is his new color : ) It has been great being home and seeing my friends from high school but I do miss my roommate and EC friends. I can’t wait to have a second Thanksgiving meal with my EC family for Holiday Banquet!

Spice Up Your Life!

This week was a very exciting week on campus! Last night and tonight was the Orchesis shows! This was my first time experiencing a dance show at EC. I am so happy to have been a part of it. The dance I was in was “Spice Up Your Life” by one of my favorite groups ever, The Spice Girls. I can recall many fond memories from my childhood of singing and dancing around my house to any and all Spice Girls songs. It was so much fun to do it all again, especially in a more organize manner. Here are some pictures from tonight!

I met so many great people and saw some amazing talent. I can’t wait to do it again for the Tap Show in January! What a great way to lead up to break : )

Hoe Down Throw Down

When this week first started I was dreading it. I had 3 tests, two group projects to work on, three papers, meetings, registering for classes, and more. It actually turned out a lot better than I expected!

Registering for classes went smoothly! My schedule is looking pretty nice for next term. I am excited for it to get here now that I know what I’ll be taking. It’ll be sad to see this term end because I really enjoy my classes. They are all really interesting and I have learned a lot from them. Personality and Principles of Management have been especially enjoyable. In Personality we look at different personality traits, where they come from, and what influences them. In Principles of Management we learn about what managers do and look at the challenges several companies face.

Today was made even better with Dining Service’s Theme Dinner! This Term’s theme was Simeon Benjamin’s Hoe Dow Throw Down. My friends and I knew we were in for a good time when we were hit with the smell of barbeque as we entered the Campus Center. The dinner was yummy and the dessert was great. Candied apples and a cake that looked like Cowles Hall- it doesn’t get much better than that : ) Below are some photos to enjoy!

Challahween!

Halloween weekend is a time where campus is bustling with activities. With Hillel, the Jewish Students Association, we had a Challahween event. A few of us got together and baked challah, a traditional Jewish bread. It was a little weird being back in the Dining Services Kitchen but it was a lot of fun. It came out really good! I am certainly no cooking expert so I was glad that we didn't burn the Campus Center down! While our bread was baking we played Jewish Apples to Apples. It was nice to finally play as I have only heard about the game before. I had a little beginners luck as I was the winner :)

After we ate our yummy challah, it was off to an Encore performance! My roommate and I went to see “Don’t Dress For Dinner,” this term’s play. It was excellent! The set looked beautiful, the play itself was hilarious, and the cast was amazing. The students had such great comedic timing, which can really make or break a production. It was a nice way to end a fun weekend.

Incredible People Make For An Incredible Weekend!

What a weekend this was on campus! The first weekend back from break was filled with seeing accomplished people.

Friday night started out great when some friends and I went out to SAB’s weekend festivities’ act in Mac’s. Sharing a brownie sundae, we saw John Rush, the human iPod perform. He was so talented and down to earth. He passed around books with over 600 songs, had the audience write down on post-it notes their requests, and invited people up to put them on the stage. I could not image having memorized over 600 songs and being able to play them randomly at any time. That is crazy to me!

Saturday night brought an even better event with a gala at Meier Hall. This event was to honor the trustees, alumni, and people who have made and continue to make extremely generous donations to the college. I felt so grateful to have been included with this as a student. The people in attendance were so accomplished and kindhearted. It was neat to hear stories from alumni about what EC was like when they were here, especially about living in Cowles Hall. Here's a picture of the room:

The speakers throughout the night were all inspirational. Bob Morris, the Chairman of the Board of Trustees, speech continues to stick in my mind. His mother was a student here and a member of the class of 1935. She worked a variety of jobs on campus to try to pay for her education and overcome the economic depression the world faced at the time. Despite her jobs and savings, she still owed $3,000 in student loans, which would be about $30,000 today. One of the Dean’s at the time pulled her aside and said an anonymous donor make a donation to the college to go to a student. She was then awarded the money and started her life after college on the right foot. This inspired Bob to give to the college and help enhance the legacies that future students will leave. It just made me realize what a fantastic school this is, in past and present. The generosity and compassion of all of the individuals there amazed me and made me realize how lucky I am to be a student here.

Back to the Purple Bubble!

What a whirlwind break! This long weekend just flew by. While it was just four days, I managed to fit a lot in!

On Saturday my boyfriend and I ventured into New York City for the day. I always love going to the city. The energy, shopping, and culture are all things that make me feel at home. He was a good sport as I dragged him through shopping at Saks 5^th Ave, H&M, Coach, and whatever others stores we saw while walking. It was well worth it as I got some cute new sweaters : ) After a yummy lunch we went to see Promises, Promises on Broadway. It was amazing! The set was fantastic and the show itself was hilarious. Even thought Kristen Chenoweth was not performing, we still saw Molly Shannon from SNL and the movie Superstar and Sean Hayes from Will & Grace. Sadly, it was then time for some dinner and to hit the road.

The rest of break I spent at home with my family and catching up on sleep. We did manage to spend some time together in between doctor appointments and haircuts. I also did a little more shopping at home and got a pair of cute new boots and a purple coat, an EC wardrobe staple.

While break went quickly, I know I will next be looking at my calendar to find it to be Thanksgiving Break already! It was nice to be home but even greater to return to all of my friends and roommate.

Orientation Trilogy 2010: Complete!

What a whirlwind weekend here at EC! Parents Weekend is officially completed for this year. It was so nice to have my family here and meet my friends’ parents as well.

There were a lot of activities going on this weekend. After my mom and I checked in, we enjoyed the Taste of Elmira activity. It was neat to sample foods from around the area and learn about new places to try like the Express Café & Bakery. Then it was time for the Hillel Social. I got to visit with some current club members and meet some new faces. The cookies and punch were yummy too : )

Saturday was a big day as I had even more family and friends come out to the college. We started our day with lunch and then headed off to the tour of historic Elmira. It was interesting to learn more about the area. Seeing the mansion that Tommy Hilfiger used to live in was cool. There are also some beautiful old homes that I had never seen before. Afterwards we spent some time wandering campus and of course checking out the bookstore. We then took some time to get ready before our dinner plans. A cast of friends, family, and myself enjoyed a nice evening at the Hill Top Inn. The view from Jerusalem Hill was spectacular. While we were eating we even saw a fireworks show happening somewhere down below.

Sunday the events continued as Tap Ensemble put on a show. It was fun performing what we have accomplished in the past six weeks and seeing what the other dances were like. After a delicious lunch at Gino’s, it was back to the realities of homework for me. Only a few more days until Fall Break!

Buff-Chick-Mac

It has been a rainy week here in Elmira! It has been so cold, dark, and rainy that when the sun comes out you almost forget how nice fall weather is supposed to be. We have not had nearly enough time to enjoy all of the changing leaves around campus.

There is one cure for the rainy day blues, Buff-Chick-Mac. This is a delicious creation invented by my good friend Hailey. Hailey, myself, and our friend Tori decided to make this for dinner. Here are the steps for this EC staple:

Step 1: Gather your friends and go to Mackenzie’s!

Step 2: Order mac-n-cheese with one or two buffalo chicken tenders on the side

Step 3: Cut up the chicken into bite size pieces

Step 4: Mix together!

Step 5: Enjoy : )

And this is the amazingness that can be created at Mackenzie’s on Monday’s and Wednesday’s!

We'll Dance Around The Octagon Oh Yes Oh Yes We Will!

Hey Everyone! I cannot believe how fast this year is flying by already! I never thought that September would go as quickly as it did.

It has been a busy start to the term here. I have been playing catch up in my classes as Mountain Day disorganized our plans. It was a welcomed interruption though : ) It gave me more time to sleep in, spend time with my friends, and of course study for a test. There are some pictures of singing and games.

This past weekend was Octagon Fair! My roommate and I got there bright and early to stand on line for the highly anticipated bookstore sale. I am wearing my new EC moccasins as I write : ) I then went over to help with the Hillel table before I had to go to the Admissions Open House as a Gold Key. I didn’t get to give a tour but I met some great mothers and had a nice conversation with them about how amazing Wegmans is. The Hillel Table was a success as we collected wishes and prayers to send to Israel to go in the Western Wall.

Time to get back to work! Have a great day!